the parole saga

Well, as you’ve hopefully heard by now, my original Hearing Officer recommended me for a June 2016 release back on May 20th. As expected, the first Parole Commissioner to review my case rejected his recommendation – something that apparently happens in most cases. So on June 1st I requested an appeal of that decision, which … More the parole saga

Talks

Listen to “From Harvard to the Big House” a TED Ex-Con Talk I gave at church about my experiences with the men around me in prison, most of whom were much more scared and broken than predatory and threatening.

1,300 days later

       Memory is a funny thing. No matter how hard I try, I can’t really remember the terrible parts of prison. When I think back about those lost years… all I can remember is the good stuff. How incredible peanut butter tastes when you’re really damn hungry. High-fiving up and down our madhouse of a … More 1,300 days later

mission statement

America’s prison system is just the smoke, to accomplish meaningful criminal-justice reform the underlying fires of educational, financial, and social inequalities must be addressed alongside any lasting and meaningful penal reform. Simply calling for laws to be slightly altered or pointing fingers at demographic imbalances are red herrings, fixing a system this broken requires first … More mission statement

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Cellmate

The pen twitched and jerked six-inches from my left eyeball, “FUCK YOU, YOU RACIST MOTHA­FUCKAH – I KNEW YOU WAS AYE-BEE!!” “AYE-BEE? AYBEE?! HOW THE FUCK COULD I BE ARAYAN BROTHERHOOD IF I’M HALF-FUCKING-JEW?” It was just my fifth night in the twelve-by-eight foot concrete cell, and apparently my cellmate, a hilariously militant member of … More The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Cellmate

still so cold

A long, long time ago deep in the frozen underbelly of the Clarksburg County Jail, I looked down at my wrist and examined the plastic bracelet secured around it. The bracelet was a human-sized version of the sort of tag that naturalists and pet-stores use to track animals. Snapped on with a thick metal fastener … More still so cold